In the accomplishment of ROM memory cells organized according to NOR logic the starting point is typically a substrate of semiconductor material. A complex is formed, for example, by a layer of gate oxide-polysilicon-tungsten silicide. There follows an n-implantation, for example of phosphorus, suitable for creating the extension regions of source and drain, followed by a further n+ implantation, for example of arsenic, of part of the regions of source and drain.
After the execution of these operations it is possible to proceed to the programming of the memory cell, carried out by the patterned implantation of a dopant of type p, for example boron, which has the effect of raising the voltage threshold of each implanted cell, from a voltage Vt of less than 1 V for an unprogrammed cell to a voltage Vt=6 V for a programmed cell.
Due to the large thicknesses of the polysilicon (2000 .ANG.) and of the tungsten silicide (2500 .ANG.) such implantation of programming dopant requires a high energy, which causes the dopant itself to concentrate in the semiconductor substrate at the n+/substrate junctions of the regions of source and drain. In such a way, while the doping of the junction's n+ side is not altered, that of the substrate, already of the p type, rises considerably.
While the high doping of the substrate in the vicinity of the source junction does not create any problems (since the source lines are always grounded in the operation of the ROM), the doping of the substrate in the vicinity of the drain junction causes a drain capacitance of the programmed cell that is higher than that of the unprogrammed cell: the values measured in the two cases are 2.9 fF/bit (unprogrammed cell) and 6.4 fF/bit (programmed cell).
In particular, the drain capacitance of each cell affects the bit line capacitance of the memory which, together with the metallizing resistance, the polysilicon resistance and the word line capacitance, determines the total access time of the memory cell.
Such unbalance in the capacitance between a programmed cell and an unprogrammed cell is unacceptable because it cannot be corrected by means of a circuit: the number of programmed cells in an ROM can vary by as much as 100% (all cells are programmed/no cell is programmed) and this prevents an optimization of the circuit.
It is thus desirable to eliminate or, at least to substantially reduce, this large difference of capacity between a programmed cell and an unprogrammed cell.
The object of the present invention is to realize an ROM memory cell having a low drain capacity when the cell is programmed.